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2026 Heart of America Summer ID: Quick Hits

August 10, 2026
Eliott Wilk
Central Region Operations Director

On Tuesday, July 14th, the Prep Baseball Kansas staff traveled to Al Ortolani Field on the campus of Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, KS to host the annual Heart of America Summer ID. This event was open for 2027-2030 class members, and featured 30 players from the area.

All of our events offer players the opportunity to update their recruiting resume and showcase their talents in front of our staff. We also use these events as identifiers for future invite-only events, like the Preseason All-State, our summer Top Prospect Games, and the prestigious Prep Baseball Future Games that takes place at the tail end of the summer. To see what our events offer, click HERE.

Shortly after the event, our staff compiled several of the day’s stat leaders inside our traditional ‘Stat Story’, which you can find HERE. 

Today, after combing through our notes from the day, we’ve compiled some of the event’s standouts below within these ‘Quick Hits’.

KANSAS FOLLOWS

1B Landon Alderson (Mill Valley, 2029) put on a dominant offensive display during the Heart of America Summer ID, reinforcing himself as a left-handed power bats in Kansas' incoming sophomore class. Standing at a strong 6-foot, 244.2 pounds, Alderson repeatedly pounded the baseball with authority throughout his BP round, posting a 101 mph max exit velocity and averaging 90.1 mph per batted ball. His raw power translates into easy elevation to the pull side, driving his firmest barrel 361 feet, backed by an advanced 74.7 mph max bat speed and a 78% hard-hit rate. Defensively, his natural feel around the bag was paired with an 81 mph arm across the infield.

RHP Gabe Brown (St. Mary’s Colgan, 2028) turned in one of the top arm-talent showings of the event, showcasing high-upside traits on the mound. A projectable 6-foot-1, 170-pound frame with substantial physical growth ahead, the right-hander flooded the strike zone with an effortless, loose arm action, running his fastball up to 89 mph while sitting 85–88 mph with life. Brown complemented the heater with a sharp, late-breaking 73-76 mph slider that possesses genuine swing-and-miss depth, while also demonstrating soft touch on an 80-82 mph changeup.

Gabe Brown

RHP Kale Coomes (Frontenac, 2028) provided an intriguing look on the mound, demonstrating feel for spin and pitchability from a 6-foot-1, 173-pound frame. Working cleanly out of his delivery, Coomes ran his fastball up to 83 mph, sitting comfortably in the 80-82 mph range. His signature offering was a high-spin curveball at 67-68 mph that reached 2,483 RPM with sharp downer depth. He completed his three-pitch mix by turning over a 74-75 mph changeup with fading action.

OF/C/RHP Karter Hawkins (Prairie View, 2029) put together a multi-faceted performance, highlighting dynamic athleticism in a 5-foot-9, 153-pound package. A twitchy athlete, Hawkins opened his day by running a sub-7.00 60-yard dash at 6.80 seconds. That quickness carried into his defensive work, where he posted a 89 mph outfield velocity alongside a 77 mph catcher arm from the chute with 1.94-2.08 pop times. At the plate, the switch-hitter generated a 92.9 mph max exit velocity and 295-foot max distance, before hopping on the mound and running his fastball up to 85.1 mph.

Karter Hawkins

RHP/INF Andrew Poss (Rose Hill, 2027) continued to show well infront of our staff with a high-spin, multi-tool performance Tuesday at Pittsburg State. Built with long levers in a 6-foot-3, 165-pound frame, the right-hander established command on the bump, pumping his fastball up to 84.9 mph. Poss paired his heater with a tight 71-72 mph curveball that flashed bite, peaking at 2,419 RPM. Poss also showcased his versatility on the diamond, generating a 91.5 mph peak exit velocity in BP while firing a 87 mph bullet across the infield.

INF/RHP Blace Rodina (Spring Hill, 2029) put together an impressive two-way showing at Pittsburg State, flashing high-level tools for an incoming sophomore. Standing at 5-foot-11, 154 pounds, the right-hander took the mound and filled the zone with an 81-83 mph fastball that showed quick late life and averaged 2,281 RPM. Rodina’s primary weapon was a high-spin curveball at 72-73 mph that ripped off up to 2,718 RPM with sharp breaking depth. His athleticism was evident on the diamond as well, where he generated an 84 mph throw across the diamond alongside an 87 mph peak exit velocity at the plate.

RHP Kole Schwanke (Mulvane, 2028) continued his upward trajectory with a strong bullpen from a near sidearm slot. Packed with projection in a physical 6-foot-2, 184-pound frame, Schwanke featured a heavy fastball at 83-86 mph that bored in on right-handed hitters with high-spin, peaking at 2,352 RPM. He paired the heater with a sharp slider at 71-73 mph that generated high-level spin up to 2,632 RPM with up to -18.5" of horizontal action, while also showing confidence in an 80-81 mph changeup with late fade to round out a polished three-pitch mix.

RHP/1B Brody VanHouten (Spring Hill, 2028) stood out as one of the most physically imposing arms of Tuesday's look, utilizing a 6-foot-4, 225-pound build to generate raw power on the bump. Moving with ease through his delivery, the right-hander established heavy presence with a fastball that topped out at 87 mph and sat 85-86 mph. VanHouten complemented the heater with a firm 74-78 mph curveball that spun up to 2,286 RPM, as well as an 79-80 mph changeup with tumbling action, pointing to a high-upside starter's profile.

Brody VanHouten

MISSOURI FOLLOWS

OF Owen Gutierrez (Park Hill, 2028) showcased high-end athleticism during his workout in Pittsburg. Standing at 5-foot-10, 166 pounds, the right-handed hitting outfielder made noise on the in the 60, logging a lightning-quick 1.60-second 10-yard split, ranking third overall among all participants. His lower-half explosion carried over into testing as well, posting a 25.6-inch max vertical jump, the fifth-highest mark of the showcase. At the dish, Gutierrez flashed bat speed up to 71.9 mph and 21.6 mph hand speed, resulting in a firm 92.8 mph peak exit velocity. Defensively, his quick-twitch athleticism translates cleanly to the grass, where he fired 89 mph strikes to third from the outfield.

OF Barek Hoffman (Webb City, 2027) was one of the day's biggest winners, showing high-end tools across the board in Tuesday's trip to Pittsburg. Broadly built at 5-foot-10, 180 pounds, the right-handed hitting outfielder displayed elite athleticism by leaping an event-best 31.3 inches in the vertical jump and clocking a blistering 6.58-second 60-yard dash (3.70 30-yard split, 1.57 10-yard split). Offensively, Hoffman put his raw strength on full display by hammering the second-loudest barrel of the day at 102.5 mph max exit velocity while averaging 87.7 mph per swing. He capped off a head turning workout with an event-leading 90 mph throw from the outfield.

Barek Hoffman

RHP/OF Jaxon Kent (Webb City, 2028) turned heads at the Heart of America Summer ID with an un-matched combination of size and power output at the dish. Listed at a towering 6-foot-6, 222 pounds, the right-handed hitter produced some of the most consistent hard contact of any hitter in attendance, pacing the entire showcase with an event-best 93.2 mph average exit velocity, peaking at 96.7 mph. Kent leverages his long levers with balance through contact to generate effortless juice, projecting as a high-upside middle-of-the-order threat. On the mound, his imposing frame translates to an intimidating look for hitters, utilizing a clean arm path that fills the zone with a fastball up to 86 mph and rounds out a highly intriguing projectable profile in Missouri's junior class.

C Blaise Krogen (Rock Port, 2029) offered an intriguing look as an incoming sophomore backstop with dynamic initial burst during testing. Standing at 5-foot-9, 160 pounds, Krogen put his quick-twitch lower-half athleticism on full display by logging a 1.67-second 10-yard split on the lasers, which landed inside the top five overall at the event. In the box, the right-handed hitter pairs that quickness with a compact, repeatable stroke that works short to the baseball, showing a flat path through contact and a clean foundation to build upon as he adds strength to his frame.

LHP/OF Max Malmstrom (Helias Catholic, 2029) turned in arguably one of the loudest workouts of our summer circut in Tuesday's trip to Pittsburg, leading the event across several major statistical categories. Physical and projectable at 6-foot-2, 188 pounds, the sophomore southpaw set the tone early with a 6.44-second 60-yard dash (3.57 30-yard split, 1.53 10-yard split). In BP, Malmstrom unleashed bat speed (75.6 mph) and hand speed (25.5 mph) to generate an event-best 106.2 mph peak exit velocity and an 89.1 mph average. He then jumped on the mound and showcased high-upside arm talent, running his fastball up to 88 mph while featuring a 72-73 mph slider and a 74-75 mph changeup.

Max Malmstrom

OKLAHOMA FOLLOWS

OF/RHP Casey Allee Jr. (Stillwater, 2028) put together a strong two-way performance at Pittsburg State, flashing tools on both sides of the ball. Built physically at 6-foot-1, 192 pounds, the junior opened his day by running a 6.79 60-yard dash. In batting practice, Allee Jr. displayed raw power by launching his best barrel 384 feet with an impressive 98.3 mph max exit velocity while averaging 90.0 mph per swing. On the mound, the right-hander flooded the zone with an 82-84 mph fastball that touched 2,184 RPM, working off a 71-72 mph curveball and a firm 78-79 mph changeup to project as a premier two-way follow in Oklahoma's 2028 class.

OF/RHP Bryson Francis (Owasso, 2028) turned heads as one of the most explosive athletes in attendance, showcasing a must-see toolset across every area of his workout. Athletic and projectable at 6-foot, 180 pounds, Francis registered a 6.89 60-yard dash before throwing 91 mph strikes from the outfield, which tied for the top arm strength of the event. He carried that power into the box by hammering an event-best 385-foot max distance shot while posting a 98.3 mph peak exit velocity. The Owasso product then jumped on the mound and pumped heavy fastballs sitting 88-89 mph (touching 89.8 mph), spinning a late-biting 78-81 mph slider and an 82-83 mph changeup to round out a high-ceiling profile.

Bryson Francis

RHP/INF Tanner Harting (Ripley, 2027) provided an intriguing look from a towering, physical 6-foot-5, 201-pound frame. The uncommitted senior showed life on the bump, running his fastball up to 84.4 mph while generating up to 2,244 RPM of spin. Harting backed up the heater with a 69-70 mph curveball and a 72-73 mph slider, showing pitchability to both sides of the plate. At the plate, he flashed leverage and power from the right side, posting a 95.5 mph peak exit velocity, averaging 89 mph per batted ball, and driving his best barrel 364 feet.

ARKANSAS FOLLOWS

C Khale Wade (Pea Ridge, 2028) brought physical presence to the backstop group in Tuesday's look. Built with broad strength at 5-foot-11, 215 pounds, the right-handed hitter generated leverage and raw bat power throughout his BP round. Wade flashed pull-side lift, posting a 93.0 mph peak exit velocity and launching his best barrel 304 feet into the outfield gap. Defensively, his steady transfers behind the plate led to pop times ranging from 2.05 to 2.27 seconds.

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